Hard body weedless fishing lure

ABSTRACT

A weedless fishing lure of hard bodied design of multiple embodiments, which is adapted to be connected to a fishing line, the one single hook of which is connected to the lure body by a through shaft and rotates about the shaft, said body containing a cavity large enough to completely house the hooking point of the hook while it is being fished, and having a mechanism to keep the hook hidden until deployment is desired, said hook being deployable to the hooking position by back pressure against the attached fishing line and said hook remaining deployed by back pressure against the attached line.

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/955,484 filed Sep. 17, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,375.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to hard-bodied artificialfishing lures and specifically to lures with retractable hooks whichmake them “weedless” or “snagless.”

BACKGROUND

Artificial fishing lures are generally designed to mimic the look andaction of some species of bait fish. Manufacturers have been buildinglures of various types for many years. The bodies have been manufacturedfrom various substances including balsa and other woods, red cedar,plastic, and metal. The shapes are generally designed to imitate baitfish of some bait species. The lures come in almost infinite colors andsurface finishes.

Almost since the invention of the first lure of this type (“crank bait”,“top water” lures, or “lipless crank bate”) manufacturers have usedhooks with multiple barbs to “hook” a fish when a strike occurs. Mostlures use treble hooks with three distinct barbs, and are suspendingfrom belly or bottom side of the lures.

The dangling hooks on most lures, while effective in securing a catchonce a strike occurs, are problematic in other contexts. The danglinghooks are easily entangled in brush, rocks, moss and surface/sub-surfacedebris, often resulting in loss of an expensive lure.

Manufacturers have tried to make their lures more “weedless” by addingvarious hook guarding mechanisms. However, hook guards are difficult toinstall on lures employing multiple, dangling treble hooks. In recentyears some manufacturers have attempted to make their lures moreweedless by insuring a “nose down” attitude for the lures as they aredrawn through the water, and this approach does provide some amount ofprotection from snags. In top-water applications, on the other hand,some work has been done using soft bodies which protect the hook untilthe body is compressed in the fishes mouth.

Other approaches to achieving “weedless” lures—those with hidden, orretracted hooks—have their own problems or shortcomings. Most, if notall, such designs, cannot be produced as a single piece casting or twopiece casting using current molding and machining technology. Manyrequire intricately designed and machined parts to function, andinvolved complicated assemblies with many moving pieces.

Designs with retracted, strike-deployed hoods include that of Zeman(U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,699) which employs a single hook that is activatedto the hooking position by use of a spring. Braden, in U.S. Pat. No.4,765,084 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,524, teaches a mechanism with morethan fifty distinct parts. Assembly of those mechanisms into anassembled body would prove costly, tedious, and the end productunreliable. Durability is a problem associated with, or arisingdirection from some of the just-described designs. The known designsemploy springs, cams, levers, and other actuating devices that are soondestroyed by rust, corrosion and breakage.

Another problem with retracted hook designs for “weedless” lures is thatof pre-mature hook deployment. Previous designs employ complicated anddelicate mechanisms to hold the hook in the retracted position. In U.S.Pat. No. 3,665,634 Baud employs a cam that sets into a detent in thehook body. The force of a cast will dislodge the cam and cause earlydeployment in normal use. Hameen and Antiua in U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,953employ a complicated spring and lever mechanism. In somewhatcontradictory fashion, another problem is that of keeping a hookdeployed, once extended. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,770, McDiarmand employsa complicated spring mechanism to deploy the hook, but a spring strongenough to hold the hook in place may cause the hook to fail to deployupon a strike.

Yet another limitation of existing, “weedless” designs relates to theshape of the end product. To provide room for complicated moving partsthe lure bodies are often fattened, elongated, and bulged and the endproduct has no real resemblance to bait.

Finally, there is the problem with retracted hook lures of depending onnon-standard parts. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,770, McDiarmand employs ahook that is not standard industry design, as does Bates in U.S. Pat.No. 4,873,781 Bates.

In summary, the existing approaches to making lures “weedless” are onlysomewhat effective, and true “weedless” construction has not yet beenattained.

Lures equipped with treble hooks, whether intended to be “weedless” ornot, present several additional drawbacks and problems. A first problemhas to do with safety. Once a fish takes the lure into its mouth andbecomes ensnared in the hooks, a fisherman is faced with the extractionof the hooks once the fish is landed or netted. To extract the hooks afisherman must restrain the fish while pulling the hook(s) from thefishes mouth. Because most lures contain multiple treble hooks, anythrashing or movement of the fish during the extraction can result inthe “free” hooks (hooks not caught in the fishes mouth) becomingembedded in the fisherman. Another problem relates to fish being oftenable to dislodge the treble hooks. This is particularly true of specieswhich are known to leap and thrash their heads back and forth. This isless of a problem when single barb hooks are used, because of theirability to provide a solid hook-up and retention of the fish due to thelarger size of the hook and barb.

An advantage of a lure with a single hidden hook relates to storage.Most hard bodied baits have to be stored in separate compartments toprevent tangling. When combined with other treble-hooked lures, hooksbecome entangles and time is wasted in the untangling process. If thelures are stored in separate compartments, additional storage space andequipment is needed. Lures with a hidden hook could be stored withmultiple lures to a compartment with no difficulties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toprovide an improved, artificial fishing lure.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedartificial fishing lure which more effectively than existing design,resists entanglement with weeds and the like during use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedartificial fishing lure of retracted hook design which is more reliablethan existing entanglement-resistant (“weedless”) lure design.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedartificial fishing lure of retracted hook design which is lessmechanically complex than existing entanglement-resistant (“weedless”)lure design.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedartificial fishing lure of retracted hook design which is moreescape-resistant than existing entanglement-resistant (“weedless”) luredesign.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedartificial fishing lure of retracted hook design which is less hazardousto users than existing entanglement-resistant (“weedless”) lure design.

In satisfaction of these and related objects, the present inventionprovides an improved hard bodied lure with a single retractable hook,adaptable to multiple configurations, which can be readily manufacturedusing current molding and machining technology and standard industryparts, and which provides true weedless/snagless operation/use Sincemost game fish have an affinity for underwater structures such as brushand rocks, being able to fish the lure around and through this type ofstructure is extremely advantageous.

As will be clear from a review of the Detailed Description, the presentdesign is simple, effective, and addresses each of the problemsenumerated above in the Background. The present design guards the hookwhile the lure is being fished, and provides for deployment only whenthe fish strikes. This is accomplished via a cavity in the body of thelure. The cavity is large enough to house the hooking point of thesingle attached hook. The hook retention mechanism keeps the hook fromdeploying until the fisherman desires the hook to deploy and creates asource of biasing force to deploy the hook upon demand.

The present design addresses safety concerns described above by using asingle barb hook, and in like manner addresses the dislodging problem oftreble hooks. The simplicity of the mechanism allows for outer contourswhich meet whatever shapes are desirable for optimum fish attraction.The bodies of lures of the present design may be readily produced withmolding technology employed by the industry today as a single piece ortwo piece casting, or as a single or two piece machined unit of wood,metal, or plastic using current machining and lathe technologies such asCNC machines. The present design is, mechanically speaking, very simple,and not prone to mechanical failure nor to rust or other deterioration.This same simplicity is beneficial from a cost of manufacturingstandpoint. Other benefits of embodiments of the present invention willbe apparent from an understanding of the specification and associateddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—A side view of the preferred embodiment of the lure showing thehook in the hidden position.

FIG. 2—A top view of the preferred embodiment showing the line apertureand upper cavity slot.

FIG. 3—A sectional view of the preferred embodiment showing the rightbody half (viewed from the nose) of the lure. This view also supplieshook mount detail.

FIG. 4—A sectional view of the preferred embodiment taken across thehook keepers showing hook keeper detail.

FIG. 5—A sectional view of the preferred embodiment taken across thehook shaft showing hook mounting detail.

FIG. 6—A side view of a top-water embodiment showing the hook in thehidden position.

FIG. 7—A top view of a top-water embodiment showing the hook in thehidden position.

FIG. 8—A sectional view of a top-water embodiment showing the right bodyhalf of the lure and cam detail with the hook in the hidden position.

FIG. 9—A sectional view of a top-water embodiment showing the hook inthe exposed or deployed position.

FIG. 10—A side view of a diving embodiment showing the hook in thehidden position.

FIG. 11—A top view of a diving embodiment.

FIG. 12—A sectional view of a diving embodiment showing the hook in thehidden and deployed positions. This view also supplies detail of theline rollers, weight chamber, line aperture, diving bill, and hookmount.

FIG. 13—A sectional view of a “diving” embodiment showing detail of thetop line roller.

FIG. 14—A sectional view of alternate design hook keepers.

FIG. 15—A sectional view of a top-water embodiment showing hook keeperdetail.

FIG. 16—Exterior side view of the lure with slight bend in hook.

FIG. 17—Top view of lure showing lateral bend in hook body.

FIG. 18—Sectional view of lure with lateral bend in hook.

FIG. 19—Sectional view of lure with loop to provide hook keeping meansand a point of attachment for line.

FIG. 20—Top view of lure with loop.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring principally to FIGS. 1-5, the preferred embodiment of thepresent fishing lure is identified generally by the reference number 10.Lure 10 includes a lure body (1) is composed of two halves (13 and 14)which are manufactured with a recess on the inner surface of each halfof a depth of approximately one and one half times the diameter of thehook shaft. (The two halves 13 and 14 may be molded plastic or may bemachined from wood or metal on a CNC machine or comparable equipment).When the two halves 13 and 14 are joined this creates a cavity 112through which hook 12 may rotate freely about the hook shaft 3. Thecavity 112 opens through the top side of the lure body 1 with anorigination of the opening a short distance from the tail 114 of thelure body 1 and a termination at approximately mid point of the body 1.The cavity 112 is wide enough to accommodate the body of hook 2 and toallow for hook keepers 6 and 7 penetration into the cavity 112. Thecavity 112 lies equidistant and parallel to the head-to,tail centerlineof the lure 10. The cavity 112 opens through the bottom side 116 of thelure body 1 with an origination the same as the top cavity opening 120and terminates at a point approximately mid-way between the head andtail 114 of the lure body 1. This provides an opening 120 through whichthe shank 118 and bend 123 of the hook 2 may pass when it is placed intothe “hidden” or “set” position (as shown in FIG. 1). All inner cornersand exposed edges inside the cavity 112 should be slightly rounded toprevent damage to the fishing line should there be any contact. Hookshaft 3 passes through the approximate middle of the lure body 1, eye 4of hook 2 and cavity 112 at a point that allows hook 2 to rotate freelyupward and downward through the body cavity 112 without any interferencebetween the tail end of the cavity and the bend 123 of the fish hookshank 118.

Hook keepers 6 and 7 extend inward to cavity 112 in the lower quadrantof each half of the lure body 1. Hook keepers 6 and 7 are, in thepreferred embodiment, NYLON bristles, but may be made of some othersuitable flexible, durable material such as KEVLAR or DELRIN. The NYLONbristles are of approximate diameter {fraction (1/16)}″ and are set intoholes provided in the body halves 13 and 14.

Alternative means of retaining the hook may be used. For example,referring to FIG. 14, the hook retainers 6 and 7 may be structured assmall screws of DELRIN, NYLON, TEFLON or KEVLAR. The outer ends of suchstructures should be slightly rounded. The screws (hook keepers 6 and 7)would be screwed into the two body halves 13 and 14 to the proper depthto allow the hook shank 118 to pass between them and adjusted as wearmay occur.)

The inner ends of the hook keepers 6 and 7 extend into the cavity 112 ofthe body 1 to a sufficient distance that their inner end lies short ofthe head-to-tail centerline of the cavity 112 by a distance equal toapproximately ¼ the diameter of the hook 2. Thus, the hook 2 may then bepushed or pulled between the ends of the keepers 6 and 7 as the hook 2is rotated about the hook shaft 3.

To begin fishing with the lure, a fishing line 11 must be attached tothe hook 2. It is assumed that a rod and reel (not shown in thedrawings) are used in the operation of the lure 10. The fishing line 11is passed down through the line aperture 12 provided in the lure body 1.The edges of line aperture 12 are rounded to prevent damage to the line11. The hook 2 is pushed up into it's full upward position (shown indotted line in FIG. 3). The line 11 is then attached to the hook 2 bywrapping it around the exposed, bent portion 125 of the hook shank 118and is secured via a “double improved cinch knot” or other similar knot122. The tag ends of the knot 122 are then trimmed as closely aspossible. The hook 2 is then pushed down past the hook keepers 6 and 7into the “hidden” position (shown in unbroken lines in FIG. 3).

Hook 2 is held in the hidden position while the line 11 is pulled upwardthrough the line orifice 12. The knot 122 will slide forward on the hook2 to a point where it is at or near the downward bend 125 of the hook 2.A lower hook stop 5 is set in the lure cavity 112 and acts as a lowerstop to keep the hook 2 from dropping out of the lower cavity opening120. When the hook 2 is in the “hidden” position it's shank 118 will liebetween the hook keepers 6 and 7 and the lower hook stop 5. The lure canthen be cast out and retrieved just as any conventional crank bait. Aweight cavity (9) is set into the nose of the lure.

Weighted metal balls 110 are placed into a weight cavity 9. The weightthus provided in the indicated position effects a nose-down orientationfor the lure 10 while in use in the water, and also provides noise asthe balls 110 strike the inside of the cavity 9 as the lure 10 wobblesfrom side to side during a retrieve.

When a strike occurs the fisherman must draw the rod tip back forcefullyand quickly, as is required with most baits, to drive the hook point andbarb portion into the fishes mouth. When the fish holds the lure in it'smouth this creates a back pressure against the line 11. When the rod tipis drawn back forcefully, the line 11 exerts sufficient pressure againstthe hook 2 to rotate the hook shank 118 upward past the ends of the twohook keepers 6 and 7. The hook 2 rotates upward until the hook shank 118contacts the lower side of the portion of lure body 1 that serves as anupper hook stop 8. The upper hook stop 8 acts to keep the hook 2 fromturning downward toward the lure body. The point of hook 2 is thenexposed and is driven into the fish's mouth.

In FIG. 6 a top water embodiment is shown. The manufacture and operationof the lure are much the same as that shown for the embodiment of FIGS.1-5. The lure 10 in this embodiment uses a cam 15 (shown in FIG. 8) todeploy and supply the upward force for the hook 2. The cam 15 and camshaft 17 should be made from stainless steel or a durable material suchas KEVLAR or a high grade of molded plastic. The cam 15 is supplied withan eyelet 16 for connecting the cam cable 27 to the line attachmenteyelet 28. The fishing line 11 is attached to the eye 28 of the camcable 27. The cam cable 27 is supplied with a crimped ball 105. The ball105 interacts with body 1 as shown in FIG. 8 to keep the hook 2 and cam15 from dangling from the body 1 when the hook 2 is in the hiddenposition. The hook 2 is deployed as in the preferred embodiment. Theweight chamber 9 and weighted balls 110 of the earlier embodiment areremoved in the embodiment of FIG. 6 and following. The hook keepers 6and 7 are exactly as in the preferred embodiment.

In FIG. 10, a diving lure embodiment is shown. Two rollers 23 and 25have been added to route the line 11 into position to supply the upwardforce to release and expose the hook 2. The line 11 is routed throughthe line aperture 12 and passes behind the bottom roller 23 (mounted onshaft 24) and forward of the top roller 25 (mounted on shaft 26) and outthe opening above the top roller 25. Line 11 is then routed back downthrough the opening above the upper roller 25 and the line 11 is securedto the hook shank 118 as in the preferred embodiment. The hook keepers 6and 7 for this embodiment are exactly as in the preferred embodiment.

FIGS. 16-18 show an embodiment of the lure in which the body of the lureis greatly simplified and the shape of the hook itself provides a securepositioning of the hook within the cavity. In this embodiment of theinvention, the hook is bent slightly in a lateral direction 113 as shownin the top view, FIG. 17. With the lateral bend 113, the main body 114of the hook rubs against the side of the cavity 112, providingresistance against the hook being deployed during the normal operationof the lure. FIG. 18 is a sectional view of this embodiment of the lurefurther showing this variation in the configuration of the line andlure.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show an additional variation of the lure in which thedrag against the sides of the interior cavity is provided by a loop inthe shank of the hook at the bend nearest the pivot point. This loopacts as a one-turn coil spring pressing against both sides of thecavity, maintaining the hook in its hidden position. The loop furtherprovides a point of attachment for the line, precluding any chance forthe line to slip down the shank of the hook.

It becomes apparent from these descriptions that slight variations couldbe made in the retention and deployment mechanism of the hook 2depending on the body shape of the lure 10, but it should be understoodthat the basic design/operation remains the same—that a single hook isplaced into and kept in a cavity providing snagless operation until suchtime that the fisherman desires to deploy the hook, said hook beingdeployed by back pressure against the attached fishing line.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limitedsense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well asalternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent topersons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of theinvention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims willcover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. A weedless fishing lure of hard bodied design comprising: abody member having a hook shaft extending through an interior cavityformed within said body member, said cavity both opening to the outsideof said body member at top and bottom openings of said body member andextending along a vertical plane; a fishing hook rotatably carried onsaid hook shaft, the hook comprising a shank, and a hook barb portion,said shank having a bend and a bent portion which extends along thevertical plane of said interior cavity, said bent portion attached to afishing line during use, whereby said fishing hook is rotatable betweena retracted position whereby said hook barb portion of said fishing hookis recessed within said cavity and said bend is exposed at said bottomopening, and a deployed positioned wherein said hook barb portion ofsaid fishing hook and said bend are exposed exteriorly of said bodymember at said top opening for capturing fish; and yieldable hookkeeping means positioned for applying a mechanical force against saidfishing hook for resisting initial movement of said fishing hook fromsaid retracted position toward said deployed position until a forceexceeding said mechanical force is applied to said fishing hook via thefishing line which is attached to said fishing hook at said bent portionin a manner for forcing said fishing hook from said retracted positiontoward said deployed position when force is applied to said fishinghook, said yieldable hook keeping means is a lateral bend in the shankof the hook which extends at an angle to the vertical plane of theinterior cavity and creates a resistance to its deployment by causingrubbing of the hook against the interior cavity.